Many items, consumer, household and industrial, include grips or handles that are designed to be grasped by the user. Depending on the function of the items, the pressure exerted by the user may vary, but generally it is desirable that a sufficient grasp is maintained so that the handle does not fall out of the user's hand.
Various grips or handles comprise a polymer. Thermoplastic elastomers, especially those with hardness below 75 Shore A, have excellent dry grip and, therefore, are widely being used to overmold onto hard substrates to provide a soft touch surface with excellent grip. When a handle becomes wet during use, such as during the normal use of the item in the case of a cooking utensil or a personal care tool, by normal conditions of use such as rain or humidity, or even sweat from the user, the item's handle can become slippery and difficult to grip.
Moreover, many individuals desire handles that offer a soft feel that is pleasing to touch, as well as handles that have good grip when moist, wet or soapy.
Different attempts have been set forth in order to improve wet grip, including adding polar polymers, such as polyurethane, and adding abrasive filler to make the surface of the item rough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,799 relates to a thermoplastic polymer composition containing (a) a polyester or polyamide thermoplastic polymer and (b) a block graft copolymer which comprises (i) as the backbone portion, at least one of a block copolymer or a hydrogenated block copolymer containing blocks of a styrene-type polymer and blocks of a butadiene-type polymer, and (ii) as the graft portion, a radical disintegrative polymer, said block graft copolymer having been chemically modified with molecular units containing a functional group which will reportedly combine or interact with said thermoplastic polymer a).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,940 relates to reportedly high wet-friction, highly adherent, non-abrasive elastomeric compositions reportedly producing smooth, slip-resistant coatings on surfaces, containing as primary components, a thermoplastic rubber block copolymer and a petrolatum, and optionally, independently including a plasticizer such as a hydrogenated polybutene, a tackifier such as polyisobutylene or a hydrocarbon resin, an antioxidant or a UV light absorber, in a carrier organic solvent, and containing no abrasive filler or particulate additives.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,649 relates to a rubber composition reportedly suitable for use in grips of articles such as golf clubs, tennis rackets, bicycles and tools, comprising (1) a rubber component containing an ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM), and (2) 5 to 100 parts by weight of a polyisobutylene having a viscosity average molecular weight of 6,000 to 50,000, which reportedly provides grips having good feeling of touch, good non-slipping properties in both fine and rainy weather, and reportedly giving a small feeling of impact to mis-shot of golf balls as compared with conventional grips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,552 relates to a rubber composition containing a diene rubber and a modified polyisobutylene rubber having a functional group capable of reacting with a silanol group present on a surface of silica, together with a precipitated silica or a silica-adhered carbon black, having a low tan δ (about 0.2) at 60° C., reportedly having an improved grip performance without substantially decreasing the abrasion resistance and the rolling resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,855 relates to a modified polybutene (polyisobutylene) containing isobutylene repeating units and having, in the main chain, at the ends, and/or at the side chains of the polymer chain thereof, free radicals stable at a room temperature and in the presence of oxygen, or having a half-ester structure, amide structure, onium salt structure, or imide structure or acid anhydride residual group, as well as a rubber composition containing the same.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,919 discloses a thermoplastic elastomer composition which is comprised of (a) a thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of polyolefin resin, polyphenylene ether, and polystyrene, wherein the thermoplastic resin is present at a level of up to 60 parts by weight, (b) 5 to 90 parts by weight of a rubbery elastomer, wherein the repeat units in the rubbery polymer are distributed through the rubbery polymer in an essentially random manner, wherein the rubbery polymer is a solution polymer, and is optionally, at least partially crosslinked, (c) 5 to 90 parts by weight of a highly saturated elastomer, and (d) 15 to 600 parts by weight of an oil.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0059069 discloses that hotmelt adhesive compositions based on a mixture of at least one reactive binder and at least one non-reactive binder are reportedly useful as one- or two-part adhesives and/or sealants, particularly in the production of multiple glazing systems. The reactive binder may be a polyisobutylene, hydrogenated polybutadiene and/or poly-alpha-olefin which has been functionalized with silane groups. The non-reactive binder may be a butyl rubber, poly-.alpha.-olefin, polybutene, styrene block copolymer and/or a diene or homopolymer. The adhesive compositions reportedly act as both a spacer and as a matrix for the moisture-absorbing substances employed in multiple glazing applications, forming an elastic bond or seal at the edges of the glass layers.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0171759 relates to a polymer composition comprising at least one polyisobutene-containing component based on a medium molecular weight, reactive polyisobutene and at least one further polymer which is different therefrom.
U.S. Publication No. 2006/0223945 relates to synthesis techniques to reportedly form emulsifiers of low color from maleic anhydride and polymers of isobutylene.
U.S. Publication No. 2007/0032320 discloses inflatable sports balls using a particular class of thermoplastic elastomers as an outer cover layer. The class of thermoplastic elastomers reportedly exhibits a particular combination of properties that result in the ball having excellent wet play characteristics.
U.S. Publication No. 2007/0037908 relates to compositions containing improved tackifiers as well as methods making and using the same.
U.S. Publication No. 2008/0005930 relates to a method of reportedly improving the performance of sports shoes, especially soccer boots, by improving the coefficient of friction of key areas of the shoe (such as the toe box and upper) in both wet and dry conditions. Described is the application of butylene type coatings, including polyisobutylene polymers, to maintain desirable existing characteristics of a shoe, such as feel and feedback, but which improve grip. Variations such as patches and areas of specific types of fabric or coating are also discussed.
U.S. Publication No. 2008/0271344 relates to the modification of goat and caprine leathers to render them suitable for use in the manufacture of sports shoes, and certain other items of footwear and apparel. Goatskin, while possessing some desirable properties, has poor wear and tear resistance. The present invention discusses the attachment of specific types of bonding layers to the non-grain face side to reportedly alter the overall performance of caprine leathers so that they may be used in durable footwear. Treatments to, and coatings on, the caprine leather are also discussed.
Japanese Publication No. 200-088219 relates to providing a gasket material which is excellent in properties required of a gasket material, such as low hardness and its compression set is small, and permeability, such as a low-molecular-weight siloxane.
Many tackifiers, such as polyisobutylene, improve grip under dry conditions, and only moderately improve the grip under wet conditions. The product, when containing too much tackifier, is usually sticky and not suitable for use as a grip or handle. In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a composition suitable for use as a grip or handle or a portion of a grip or handle that has consumer-desirable properties, in particular good grip during wet conditions.